Couple of questions about my old dresser.....again

[sapphire]

I want to get started on this baby after the holidays, then hopefully will have enough nerve....and maybe even a place to work to get at the sideboard.

I happened across this signature inside one of the small upper drawers. There's no way this was written in there after it was constructed, so I'm thinking it may have been by the maker.

From what I'm seeing it looks like Douding? or _ ouding

Any thoughts on whether those are two capital letters or one really elaborate one?

[sapphire]

Now my next question (thought you were getting off easy, eh?)

Here's some shots of the surface.....I know some of you recommended I just leave as is or paint over, but this is what I'm going to be dealing with.

1) Upper surface on the 'shelf' in front of the two small drawers

2) Looking down the side of the dresser

3) Side again , original stain showing through

I think I'm likely dealing with stain/varnish/beige paint/brown paint

[cogar]

I think it is a cursive "Duding"

[KC]

Rauding?

[waywardangler]

I am breaking ranks and going with P. R. Dauding.  With letters, I like to break them down one at a time.  I am not looking at the board in person but the first letter looks like a P, the next intertwined looks like an R, and the last appears to be a D but I cannot tell if the top is closed or the lines are very light and not visible in the pic.  It may not be a D at all if the top is not closed.  The writer had a definite flourish because look at his/her? ending "g"!

As to the surface, it looks disgusting but I cannot tell which came first or which is last.  Maybe some mineral spirits or Formby's to melt a small test spot to see what comes off and what stays and then go from there?

[sapphire]

Another shot, played with it a bit trying to sharpen..

[cogar]

I sharpened yours using the "paint brush" in MS Digital Image Standard as best I could ..... given the fact I'm old, shaky and not as quick as I usta be.

So, ...... whatta ya think?   

[olecanalantiques]

As to the surface, it looks disgusting but I cannot tell which came first or which is last.  Maybe some mineral spirits or Formby's to melt a small test spot to see what comes off and what stays and then go from there?

I would have to agree. Imho, it could go for some refinishing, i'm not sure how everyone else feels about furniture but i think if it's done right, it doesn't hurt a singe bit!!

[sapphire]

Thanks cogar!! I'm wondering (and I have tried to get a better look) if it might be P Rawding?? It's possible part of a 'w' is too faded to show up.

Would be kind of neat if I could trace it, as there are Rawdings up here (about 200 mi from where this resided) that come from Loyalist stock. Found mention of a Percy born in 1878.

As for the surface the original 'finish' was a reddish (mahogany ?) stain, from the blistering and 'texture' I'd say either a varnish or paint on top of that........then topped with the beige and brown coats which have a gloss, so maybe oil based? When did water based come into use?

I will say this, if I can get this sucker to look like anything then I may have a chance at actually turning  my sideboard into a nice looking piece (likely be bald by the time I finish that one)

Oh for a garage......or even a basement 

[cogar]

In Post #2 I said ..... "I think it is a cursive "Duding"",

but what I was thinking about but didn't say was ...,, I think it is a calligraphy "Duding"

Here is a neato Calligraphy web site with bookoo types of fonts with a "Custom Preview" window which you can enter whatever letter(s) you want to, ... submit it, .... and then every one of those bookoo types of fonts will display whatever you typed in.

http://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=601

[waywardangler]

Cogar, nice job on the letters.  However, I think the second dark pic compared to the first pic, connects some parts that are not connected.  I do think there is a P and an R.  I do not know which comes first but I would think it would be the P because of the ending flourish on the R.  I am not sure about the u or w.  Could be either but sapphire has the board and she should be able to tell if that is a w because some wood grain may be transcribed across it even if the pencil is too light to leave a mark.  I am not sure about it being Duding.  If there are Rawdings in Canada where this came from, I think I would search to see if they were woodworkers especially since there was a Percy Rawding.  Way too coincidental to me.

Below is my rough idea of what the first 2 letters look like...separated.

[cogar]

I think the second dark pic compared to the first pic, connects some parts that are not connected.  I do think there is a P and an R.

Yup, I hafta agree, me thinks you are 100% right on that Wayward.

I really don't have anything else to do except drink coffee, smoke cigarettes ..... and play around with "thingys" like this, so here is another result of my playing around

[sapphire]

Cool toy cogar!    You have a much steadier hand than I do.

Me thinks I will get hold of my friend and see if she can find out any more info from her dad as to it's story. If he happens to mention that some relative or another connected to it came from the valley, then the Rawling idea is likely worth a good search.

Never thought about looking inside where the small drawers sit, I'd looked all through the main body and found a scribble of some sort but nothing useful or legible.

And I'd definitely say it's either pine or fir.......some of the drawer wear has created deep grooves inside from all the use, along with the fact that it's very light in weight for it's size.

So should I start with mineral spirits and work my way 'up' depending on what I'm able to get off?

[Oceans64]

Sapphire - do we know how old this is? I can look on the American Ancestry site to see if there is something there.  Rauding and Rawding seem to be interchangeable on Census records probably due to phonetic similarities.  Time frame would help tho...

[sapphire]

No idea on the age Ocean and it's unlikely it would show up in American ancestry, as the the Rawding (if that's what it says) family have been in NS since 1783.